Marion Cotillard covers the December issue of W Magazine. The actress is promoting her new movie, the French film, ‘Rust and Bone’. From what I’ve seen, the movie looks very, very good…and very, very sad. Critics say Marion could walk away with another Oscar, so we’ll see!

Marion on not winning Best Actress at Cannes this year: “I think I may have been on too many magazine covers. In France, they like the underdog. In America, they appreciate success.”

But she’s still so French: “It is much easier for me to understand something vast and complex than something light and uncomplicated. Perhaps that makes me very French.” She laughed. “Tragedy is almost always interesting to me.”

Getting respect in France and America: “I had costarred in three commercialhits in France,” Cotillard told me in 2007. “To have your place in French cinema, you have to prove that you are a serious actress in a noncommercial film. When Tim Burton picked me, French critics were impressed. In France, they see Tim Burton as a kind of film doctor, and the movie was not successful—so voilà!”

What were her first film-going experiences? “Fantasia. The dancing hippopotamus made an impression on me. And, of course, E.T. I went totally mad in the theater. I was almost pulling my hair out when they took E.T. away. That’s a deep memory of anger, despair, and pain. They had to get me out of the theater. I was screaming.”

Dreaming in French and English: “I recently spent six months filming in New York, and all my thoughts were in English. I played a Polish woman, and I would have loved to dream in Polish. Mostly, I am confused—some people talk to me in French, and I answer in English. And some people talk to me in English, and I answer in French. I think I’m too tired to dream in any language.”

What’s worse, a sex scene or a death scene? “Definitely a sex scene. I hate sex scenes. The body is so important in this movie, but I hate being naked onscreen. It’s very weird to imagine how a person would have sex. It cannot be your way. Otherwise, it would be super uncomfortable and overly intimate. Everyone has a way to have sex, so a character does too. I mean, kissing is very powerful. You feel something, you know? It’s really intense to kiss as anotherperson.”

French people love Batman: “Oh, yeah, he’s very popular. Not all superheroes are, but Batman is. He is human, so you can relate to him. The French like that. I loved the TV series. I was totally crazy about Catwoman. She was so witty and fun.”

Her Oscar experience: “It was amazing. In France, we have a lot of actors, but you never get a chance to share your experiences. In America, you show the movie, and you talk about it with actors who know what it’s like to open your heart, soul, and mind to another person and let them in. I especially feel very close to other actresses.”

I love Marion. I think she’s an incredible actress. Check out the trailer for ‘Rust & Bone’ below!